Cause and Effect Alcoholic Addiction by the Pregnant Woman - Research Paper Example

Cause and Effect Alcoholic Addiction by the Pregnant Woman Addiction leads to a prolonged effect if it is not observed under controlled circumstances. For instance the fetal alcoholic syndrome, a type of syndrome that comes due to alcoholic addiction by the pregnant woman in the family, has a very peculiar effect in the child, causing either physical or mental disorder. The question that what could be done to prevent this?, leads us to discuss a lot about the family surrounding and pressures given to the woman who governs the family. In order to reduce the risk of addiction in a family, it is better to encourage the positive aspects of the individuals or a group in the family by manifesting the process of counseling and moral support with the approved aid from the Government. Causes aggravating the Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome: The syndrome arises mostly from the parent and child relationship. The root cause is found out to be the drinking habit prevailing in the pregnant women. The alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman affects the child, from the time the fetus forms in the womb of the mother, later the alcoholic ingredients mixes with the blood content and slowly affects the fetus’s growth of the baby, resulting in brain disorder, impairment of brain cells, literatures say that the developing baby’s alcohol concentration are comparatively higher than that of the developed human body. The Mayo Clinic has to say the following on the causes for the fetal alcoholic syndrome “If you drink alcohol while you are pregnant, your fetus has a drink as well.this puts your baby at risk of a serious condition called fetal alcoholic syndrome[FAS], which is a group of birth defects”[Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome. Mayo Clinic.com] Other reasons such as a woman having an unsafe sexual affair along with drinking habit do have a serious effect of fetal alcoholic syndrome in their child. The Center for Disease Control And Prevention has to say the following as one more important reason for this syndrome. It says “Women who are sexually active and do not use effective birth control should also restrain from drinking because they could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more”[Fetal Alcohol spectrum Disorders. Center For Disease Control and Prevention]. The effects are identified by many scientists as physical, mental disorder, learning disabilities, etc. The effects does not stop up to this, it leaves a prolonged disturbance in the life of other family members of the woman, who gives birth to a child which develops the fetal alcoholic syndrome. Some people do not want to have an exposure in the society, on the other hand they become introverts, and remain in a depressed condition with their home. This effect is found out to be the worst of all. But the literatures have proof that in spite of such circumstances some individuals come out successfully in their life. In fact they seem to get a sort of courage and tolerance than the normal human being who are unaffected by this syndrome. The argument is how to bring out the people from this depression and make them successful like others in their life. Earnest L.Abel , in his work on Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome says that , “It is the result of maternal alcohol abuse, the lower level of which is close to five drinks per drinking occasion, on two or more occasions a week. The incidence of FAS is a given population will therefore depend on the number of alcohol-abusing mothers in that population”[Abel,L.Earnest. Fetal Alcoholic Abuse Syndrome Chapter 11, p-140] His argument shows that the parents are the cause of the disease and it also give the opinion that the further complications could be reduced if the mother or the parents are advised on the effects of alcohol drinking on their child. This will have a recurrent result. And above all if the pregnant woman stops or controls her drinking habit and amount of drink taken in the effect will be gradually reduced in the child. And even after birth the child has more chances of getting cured by recognizing the attitude of the child and providing treatment accordingly. Dr.Julianne Conry , Assistant Professor, Department of Phsycology and Special Education, University of British Columbia , has to say the following on Parenting Childern Affected by Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome , “By recognizing each child’s strength and weaknesses , it becomes possible to device the ways of teaching and parenting that will him or her to be successful”[Parenting Children Affected by Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome, A guide for Daily Living. Article by Dr.Julianne Conry. http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/publications/ecd/fas_guide1.pdf] This is running on one side and on the other side of the society the focus on people who have and are coming out as successful human beings is growing, this focus or special attention gives extra hope for those who are completely depressed by this syndrome. Diane Malbin, in his book on Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome has pointed out those aspects that will act as encouraging sources for those who are affected by this syndrome. “A very different picture of people with FAS/FAE [ Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome Effects] is now emerging, however one of hope and potential. Parents, teachers and clinicians who have had direct and successful experiences working with people who have FAS or FAE are a different set of words to describe there people loving, compassionate, artistic, determined and hopeful”[Malbin, Diane. Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome: Fetal Alcoholic Effects Strategies for Professionals. P-1] However literatures show results on various effects over the total family members such as the one given by corp.aadac.com, it says that “this process is often influenced by a number of factors, including the culture they live in, life events, their biological makeup and their relationships with family and friends”… it further has to say the following on the effects on the members of the family who have been affected by this alcoholic habit and effects. “Members of an addicted family often experience loneliness, frustration, fear, anger and shame. They may also feel a sense of hopelessness about the situation” [Addiction in the Family: The ABCs .Hoe Does Addiction affect the family? http://corp.aadac.com/content/alcohol/alcohol_addiction_in_family.pdf] Mean while the positive side or hopeful side of rehabilitation has more scope for those who are affected by the syndrome. The U.S Surgeon General has released an advisory having hopeful information for the affected people. It says “Alcohol-related birth defects are completely preventable. A number of resources are available to assist healthcare and social services professionals in advising their patients to reduce and refrain from alcohol in pregnancy”[http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/documents/Released/20Advisory.pdf] While analyzing the effects and cause of this syndrome, and while reviewing the literatures it becomes clear that chances are in the increasing level to compete with the society. For example the book written by Abel,L.Earnest and by Malbin, Diane have illustrations to show that there are many people who have come out successfully in their life. And it also becomes very clear that there are certain positive aspects in those who are affected by this family addiction such as tolerance, talent in tackling any kind of serious situation etc. The only way to tackle the situation is to encourage those from the positive side of hopeful life, leaving more chances for them to identify them with the society etc. Though this could be achieved with the help of certain organizations such as The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism{NIH}, Center for Disease Control and Pevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration etc. all these organizations work on how to develop the skills of facing the practicality in their life, without the interference of the depression and hopelessness caused by the syndrome. The aims of the Mayo clinic on this issue will show how this organization works. It says “implement daily routines to which your child can become accustomed, create and enforce simple rules and limits, point out and use rewards to reinforce acceptable behavior, encourage them to make decisions in protected environments, teach your child skills for daily living”[Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome: Coping Skills http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome/DS00184/DSECTION=8] The question that what can be done to assist the families who suffer from this syndrome, will take us to another aspect of this topic, such as giving counseling the parents and the pregnant women before they give birth to the child or before they become pregnant. The chances are more for the child to develop this syndrome in the mother is in the habit of taking alcohol, and the fetus gets this syndrome right from the time it grows in the mother’s womb. At the same time, if a pregnant woman stops drinking in the beginning itself, the child will have very meager or very less chances of developing this syndrome. Keeping this in mind, the counseling should be focused more on pregnant women and women who involve in sex without caring on safety, and to those women who has drinking habit, than to those who have been already affected by this addiction disease in the family. This syndrome, as it affects the child in a large proportion need to be controlled only in the pregnant women. They should be taught about the implications of the drinking habit and how their fetus will get affected, this could be done in an effective way by showing lively affectation with the help of a scanner. Educating the pregnant women will have an effective result on controlling the further development of the syndrome, and gradually the disease could be controlled in the child inside mother’s womb. To attain this, Government should implement rules in such a way that the pregnant women will be given compulsory and basic education regarding the drinking habits and its effects on their child from the time it starts growing in the mother’s womb. Social support is another factor that will have chances of reducing the effects of addiction in the family. If parents become aware of the facts concerning the hazards of the disease, they might not influence their children over drinking habit directly. On the whole the causes of addiction in a family begin from the parents, and if the parents are educated about these effects the child will not have the effect of drinking. In the case of those affected by the addiction in the family, they should be made aware of the hopeful side of life, this could be done by focusing them to those who have come out successfully overcoming the addiction and effects in their family. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abel, L. Ernest. “The American Paradox”.Fetal Alcoholic Abuse Syndrome. Chapter II .p.140 The Published by Springer Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit. Michigan Malbin, Diane.M.S.W. Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome:Fetal Alcoholic Effects Strategies For Proffessionals . Published by HAZELDEN PES. Pleasant Valley Road p.o Box 176. Center City, MN 55012-0176 Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome: Coping Skills online http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome/DS00184/DSECTION=8 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/documents/Released/20Advisory.pdf Addiction in the Family: The ABCs .Hoe Does Addiction affect the family?.online. http://corp.aadac.com/content/alcohol/alcohol_addiction_in_family.pdf Read More